Anticreeping device for rail way rails



EVIC

Fil d April 25, 1 47 Patented Mar. 20, 1951 I UNITED STATES, PATENTOFFICE AN TICREEPING DEVICE FOR- RAILWAY RAILS Richard T. Scholes,Hinsdale, Ill.

Application April 25, 1947, Serial No. 743,821

This invention relates to railway track appliances, and has particularreference to improvements in rail anti-creeping devices; i. e., devicesfor holding rails against longitudinal movement relative to the crossties upon which they are supported.

Generally speaking, the object of the invention is to provide a simple,practical two-way rail anti-creeping device adapted to resist movementof the rail in either direction and which may be produced economically;readily and easily installed in track, and which is thoroughly reliableand highly efficient in the performance of its function.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention consists in arail anti-creeping device embodying the novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of referencedenote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary transverse section through a rail illustratingmeans in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention tohold the rail against creeping'longitudinally.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1, the railbeing shown in horizontal section; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, illustrating an alternativeembodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates a portion of a crosstie, B designates a tie plate seated thereon, and C designates a railseated on said tie plate.

The tie plate B is, of course, secured to the cross tie A against anypossibility of superficial movement with respect thereto, as, forexample, by means of spikes Illin accordance with usual practice.Moreover, the tie plate is provided, as usual, with at least oneshoulder II against which one edge of the base flange I2 of the rail Cabuts, whereby the rail is held against lateral movement in onedirection.

In accordance with the invention, the tie plate B is suitably provided,at a point spaced outwardly from the opposite edge of the rail flangeI2, with an abutment in the'form of an inwardly facing abutment I3. Asillustrated in the drawing, this shoulder is constituted by the innerface of a rib I 4 projecting upwardly from the tie plate. .It may,however, equivalently be consti- 6 Claims. (01. 238-315) tuted by theouter face of a hole formed through or a depression formed in the tieplate.

Between the shoulder I3 and the adjacent side of the rail C isinterposed an anti-creeping member in the form of a spring steel plate Dof suitable thickness and width, the outer end of which abuts theshoulder I3 and the inner end of which may abut either or both the basefillet I5 and the web I6 of the rail. In this connection, and asillustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the inner end of theplate D is formed with an upwardly curved portion I! to seat against thebase fillet ll of the rail and also against the rail web a limiteddistance above the base fillet I5. On the other hand, as illustrated inFigure 3 of the drawing, the inner end of the plate is formed not onlywith an upwardly curved portion I! to seat against the base fillet I5 ofthe rail, but also with an upward extension I8 of said portion H to seatagainst the rail web throughout its height as well as against the underface of the head I9 of the rail. Otherwise, the form of the plate Dillustrated in Figure 3 is the same as the form of said plateillustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Each form of the plate D includes a lower, substantially horizontallydisposed portion 20 which is upwardly arched and which is adapted to befastened under downward flexure to cause said plate to act, toggle-like,to urge the rail laterally against the tie plate shoulder II and to holdit against lateral movement in the opposite direction. This, in turn,insures ample frictional contact between the inner end of the plate Dand the rail so that the inner end of said plate will tend to shiftlaterally in response to any tendency of the rail to creeplongitudinally.

The plate D is fastened, not only with its portion 20 under downwardfiexure, but in such manner that it may partake of at least a smallamount of rotary movement in a horizontal plane about a point of contactof its outer end with the shoulder I3. A staple 2|, the upper or bightportion of which straddles the plate D intermediate its ends and thelegs of which extend through holes in the tie plate B and are driveninto the tie A to either side of the portion 20 of said plate, from theedges of which portion they are suitably spaced, constitutes a simple,practical means of fastening the plate D in the manner stated and isparticularly desirable because it does not require that said plate beperforated. Said plate may, however, have a perforation through which abolt or other fastening element may extend.

When the plate D is installed its inner end is engaged with the rail Cto either side of a vertical plane, designated as x-m, which extendstransversely relative to the track. On the other hand, the outer end ofsaid plate D may be engaged only at a single point with the abutment I3in the plane a:a:, or, like the inner end of said plate and as shown,may engage the shoulder I3 to either side of the plane :c-x. In anyevent, since the inner end of said plate, due to its frictional contactwith the rail, will tend to shift laterally in reponse to any tendencyof the rail to move longitudinally, even a small amount of longitudinalmovement of the rail will result in sufficient rotation of said plateabout its .point of contact with the shoulder 13 to cause said plate tobind tightly between the abutment [3 and the rail and thus prevent anyappreciable longitudinal movement of the rail. The reason for this is,of course, that when the plate D rotates, it assumes a diagonal positionrelative to the rail and its diagonal dimension is greater than thedistance between the shoulder l3 and the portion of the rail with whichthe inner end of said plate is engaged.

While only one tie plate shoulder H has been referred to and only asingle anti-creeping device described, it is apparent that the tie platemay have two shoulders as shown and that the anti-creeping devices maybe employed at each side of the rail.

If the plate D is provided at its inner end with an upward extensionsuch as the extension 18 illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, saidextension may be formed so that it must be flexed outwardly from itsdotted line position shown in said figure in order to engage-the rail.By such flexure, it will have energy stored therein which will insure atall times effective frictional contact with the rail so that it willmove with the rail whenever the latter tends to move longitudinally,thus insuring the described mode of operation of the plate D. Moreover,because of the top of the portion l8 engaging the under face of the railhead I9 and thus preventing any possibility of said portions ridingupwardly on the base fillet of the rail, positive gripping actionbetween said portion 20 and the rail is assured in response to anytendency of the plate D to rotate.

Without further description it is believed that the construction andoperation of the present anti-creeping device will be clearly understoodand its advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however,that said device is susceptible of various modifications within thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a railway track, a cross tie, a tie plate seated on and fastenedto said cross tie, said tie plate having a shoulder against which oneedge of the rail flange is engaged to hold the rail against lateralmovement in one direction, said tie plate further having an abutmentspaced from the other edge of the rail flange, a plate member engaged atits outer end with said abutment and at its inner end with the adjacentface of the rail web, and fastening means for said plate member, saidplate member being engaged at its inner end with the rail web to eitherside of the l'ongitud-inal'axis of said plate member and being rotatablein a substantially horizontal plane about a point of contact of itsouter end with said abutment and having sufiicient frictionalcooperation at its inner end with the rail web so that it is rotatedabout its :saidrpoint of con tact with said abutment in response tolongitudinal movement of the rail, thereby to bind tightly between saidabutment and the rail web and thus resist longitudinal movement of therail.

2. A railway track structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the platemember is inherently resilient and arched and secured under downwardfiexure by its fastening means to cause its inner end to be urgedinwardly into firm frictional engagement with the rail web.

3. A railway track structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the platemember includes a substantially vertically disposed inner end portionengaged at its top with the under side of the rail head, whereby theinner end portion of said plate is held against upward movement relativeto the rail.

4. In a railway track, a cross tie, a tie plate seated on and fastenedto said cross tie, said tie plate having, a shoulder against which oneedge of the rail flange is engaged to hold the rail against lateralmovement in one direction, said tie plate further having an abutmentspaced from the other edge of the rail flange, a substantiallyrectangular plate member engaged at its outer end to either side of itslongitudinal axis with said abutment and at its inner end to either sideof its longitudinal axis with the adjacent face of the rail web, andfastening means for said plate member, said plate member being rotatablein a substantially horizontal plane about the point of contact of eitherof its two outer corners with said abutment and having sulficientfrictional contact at its inner end with the rail web whereby it isrotated in response to longitudinal movement of the rail, thereby tobind tightly between said abutment and the rail web and thus resistlongitudinal movement of the rail.

5. In a railway track, a cross tie, a tie plate seated on and fastenedto said cross tie, said tie plate having a shoulder against which oneedge of the rail flange is engaged to hold the rail against lateralmovement in one direction, said tie plate further having an abutmentspaced from the other edge of the rail flange, and a member engaged atits outer end with said abutment and at its inner end with the adjacentface of the rail web, said member being engaged at its inner end withthe rail web to either side of thelongitudinal axis of said member andbeing rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane about a point ofcontact of its outer end with said abutment and having suificientfrictional cooperation at its inner end with the rail web so that it isrotated about its said point of contact with said abutment in responseto longitudinal movement of the rail, thereby to bind tightly betweensaid abutment and the rail web and thus resist longitudinal movement ofthe rail.

6. In a railway track, a cross tie, a tie plate seated on and fastenedto said cross tie, said tie plate having a shoulder against which oneedge of the rail flange is engaged to hold the rail against lateralmovement in one direction, said tie plate further having an abutmentspaced from the other edge of the rail flange, and a member engaged atits outer end to either side of its longitudinal axis with said abutmentand at its inner end to either side of its longitudinal axis with theadjacent face of the rail web, said member being rotatable in asubstantially horizontal plane about the point of contact of either ofits two outer corners with said abutment and 5 having sufficientfrictional contact at its inner end with the rail web whereby it isrotated in response to longitudinal movement of the rail, thereby tobind tightly between said abutment and the rail web and thus resistlongitudinal 5 movement of the rail. 4

RICHARD T. SCHOLES.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Re. 22,776 800,7951,023,871 1,257,994 1,942,464

The following references are of record in the 10 Number file of thispatent:

Name Date Scholes Aug. 6, 1946 Corell Oct. 3, 1905 Payne et a1 Apr. 23,1912 Gillmor Mar. 5, 1918 Willard Jan. 9, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS CountryDate France Dec. 5, 1911

